Brownsville's STR ordinance, adopted November 12, 2024, requires every short-term rental (under 30 days) to be permitted by the City. The permit application requires a floor plan and site map showing the layout, exits, and parking, and overnight occupancy is limited based on bedrooms and applicable fire-code capacity.
On November 12, 2024, Brownsville City Commission adopted a Short-Term Rental ordinance that defines an STR as the rental of a dwelling unit for a period of less than 30 consecutive days. Every non-owner-occupied STR within the city limits must obtain a city-issued STR permit before being listed on Airbnb, VRBO, or any other platform. The permit application requires proof of ownership or a management agreement, a floor plan and site map showing the rental layout, exits, parking spaces, and points of access, plus a 24/7 local emergency contact. Overnight occupancy is tied to the bedroom count and exit configuration shown on the approved floor plan and the life-safety provisions of the adopted building code, rather than a single statewide cap. Operators must register with the City Finance Department and remit Brownsville's local Hotel Occupancy Tax monthly in addition to the 6% Texas state HOT under Tax Code Chapter 156. Permits are valid for one year; renewal is free if filed on time. Brownsville is in Cameron County and not in a coastal-county venue tax district, so only the city and state HOT apply.
Hosting more guests overnight than the approved floor plan supports, operating without a city STR permit, or failing to display the permit in the unit can lead to citations, denial or revocation of the permit, and back-assessment of unpaid Hotel Occupancy Tax plus interest under Tax Code Chapter 351.
Brownsville, TX
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See how Brownsville's occupancy limits rules stack up against other locations.
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